A River through the Labyrinth
by DarkCharisma
Summary: River feels like she doesn't belong. A Goblin king pines for his lost love. What will happen when River discovers a certain red book, and says her right words? Rating for later chapters and language.
1. Goblin King, Meet Crazy Girl

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Disclaimer: Firefly/Serenity and The Labyrinth, unfortunately, do not belong to me.

_AN: Second fic, though a totally different universe, but first crossover. It's a little rough around the edges as it's a first draft, but read and enjoy. Hope to update at least once a week. R&R! ^_^_

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**In the Underground**

"_I wish the Goblins would come and take me away…"_

The sing song voice drifted through the halls of the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. Jareth lifted his face from his palm in curiosity. It had been many years since he'd last heard those words. Many years since the humans had left their Earth and it had been many more since Sarah had defeated his Labyrinth. In truth he had not expected to hear the words again, but now that he had there was a duty he had to fulfill.

The thought of a runner, after all this time, in the Labyrinth brought a feral smile to his face.

In his haste to leave, Jareth forgot the peculiar phrasing of the words.

**On Firefly class transport ship, alone in the black**

"River!"

Giggles came from overhead, causing Simon to stuff his headlong rush towards the cockpit. Craning his neck he could just make out the shape of her face.

"Méi-Mei, I thought we talked about privacy and locked doors?" Simon thought he was being remarkable calm.

"So what did my lil' albatross do now?" Mal said walking up behind Simon.

"Wuh de ma! Mal, don't sneak up on me like that!" Simon had staggered back against the side of the hall in surprise, as he had not heard Mal walking up.

"You're such a boob, Simon. Nothing wrong with crazy monkey sex, quite natural" River dropped down from her hiding place, landing gracefully on her feet. She frowned, "But there may be something wrong with your auditory system." Her frown quickly turning into a grin, she ran off giggling.

"River!" Simon was blushing furiously.

"Crazy monkey sex? I don't want to know… I so did not need to hear that lil' albatross!" Mal yelled while covering his ears and heading back to the galley. Simon hid his face behind his hands and groaned loudly as he headed back to Kaylee's room.

Zoe stuck her head out of her bunk, looking at the now empty passage, "Maybe I should have a talk with River, my mornings do not need to be ruined this way…"

"Apologies Zoe, I did not mean to disturb your rest. Will not spy on Simon and Kaylee having crazy monkey sex again." River looked ashamed and quite putout, as Zoe had given a startled yelp at her sudden appearance.

"It's all right, Méi-mei. Thank you for that… I'm sure we'll all appreciate the quiet" Zoe smiled softly at River, hoping to convey a feeling of forgivness. She knew that River still felt like an outsider at times, and did not want to compound this feeling.

River smiled in turn and danced off in the direction of her bunk. Zoe shook her head in amusement and went back into her quarters to get dressed, figuring that since she was awake she might as well start the day.

**Several hours later in River's bunk**

"And so the girl said, _"You have no power over me…"_ and the castle fell to pieces around her…" River was reading a book. A rather interesting book, a play to be exact, that she had picked up last time they were on Persephone. She could almost see things happening when she touched it.

_A young girl, a few years her junior, spoilt and selfish, with emerald green eyes and flowing dark hair dressed in a white ball gown._

_A baby in striped jimjams, flying up into the air before being caught by strong arms, laughing all the while._

_A fae king, with mismatched eyes, and a voice like velvet who juggled your dreams in his hands._

_A labyrinth with strange creatures and a little helpful worm, who told you where to go if you but listened._

This was not the first time she had read the book. She could barely put it down since she had found it. It had to be quite old, from Earth-That-Was… but was in seemingly perfect condition.

Although River knew she was quite more lucid after Miranda, she still had her moments and she would never be normal.

Everyone had their place on Serenity, but where was hers?

True, she had taken over piloting the ship and her abilities as a reader made her invaluable to Mal's jobs, but she still did not feel at home. Simon was finally happy, as was Kaylee, and River would never forgive herself if she took that away from them. Even Mal and Inara had finally stopped dancing around each other and finally started _dancing _together. As much as it made her feel more ostrasized, she was happy they had finally listened to their feelings. Zoe was definitely still in love with Wash, and finally at peace with what had happened at Miranda. Jayne was… well Jayne, nothing else to say there.

That was until she found this book.

There was an idea forming at the back of River's mind, one that could answer her questions, but did she really want to take that path?

Opening the book to the beginning River read the goblins' words and decided.

"I wish the Goblins would come and take me away…" River sang the words softly to herself, and then quickly looked around. Nothing.

Pouting, River put the book down and promptly stuck her tongue out at it.

"Now, that wasn't very nice" a darkly seductive voice whispered from her doorway.

Turning slowly, oh so slowly, River peered at the shape in her doorway and then her face broke out into a smile. "Well, what are you standing there for? Let us be off, depart, leave and vamoose." She beamed up at his gobsmacked face. She decided then and there that she wanted to see that look on his face as much as possible.


	2. Thirteen Hours, Dance Like the Wind

Disclaimer: Firefly/Serenity and The Labyrinth, unfortunately, do not belong to me.

_AN: Finally got this chapter up, I swear writer's block must have been created by some devious little gremlin. This chapter didn't flow quite as smoothly as the first so I apologize in advance for any strangeness, but read and enjoy. R&R! ^_^_

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**Somewhere in the Black**

Jareth could scarcely believe his ears.

:: She _wanted_ to go with him. Runners weren't supposed to want to go to the Labyrinth, not unless they truly wanted to rescue those they had wished away. Wait if she was the runner, then who had she… ::

River giggled as she saw the Goblin Kings eyes widen in realization.

"You wished yourself away?!" The hushed whisper seemed forced, as if he would have rather shouted the words.

"Pretty glitter falling from the sky. Leafy branches and stone walls stretching far above. Strange creatures and a castle beyond the city. This girl wished to see it, so she said her right words." River spoke quietly, seriously, as if trying to make sure he understood.

Jareth shook his head, still not believing that he had been duped by this little chit of a girl. Never in the history of the Labyrinth had a person wished themselves away.

"Why…" he knelt in front of her, in order to better see into her face.

"She's wrong, broken, feng-le. She wishes to be fixed, whole, alive. She wishes to run for her dreams" River was speaking more strongly now, as if wanting to prove something.

Jareth drew himself up, gathering his cloak and power around himself. Taking on a more intimidating and threatening air, he spoke, "So be it. You have thirteen hours to run the Labyrinth, or you will become one of us forever." His voice had taken on an echoing quality, and thunder could be heard rolling in the distance.

River shivered and started to wonder if she had made the right decision.

"River! River, who are you talking to?"

River looked up at the Goblin King, her mouth forming a ring of horror. She didn't want to see her brother, she knew that Simon would try to run in her place. Knew that it would not heal her.

"We must leave. Now. I agree to your terms, Goblin King. I will run your Labyrinth." River spoke hurriedly.

Jareth nodded once, and started juggling a crystal. "Very well."

Simon ran up to River's door, to see a shower of glitter falling to the floor.

"River…"

**At the entrance to the Labyrinth**

They stood on a hill facing the entrance to the Labyrinth. The light had a quality that River had never seen before, as if it was being filtered before it reached her.

"You have thirteen hours, little girl. Use them well." Jareth conjured up the old clock, staring at the hands till they pointed at thirteen. "Thirteen hours, before you will become one of us forever."

River was staring at the clock, barely acknowledging Jareth's speech. "Thirteen, is twelve plus one, is six plus seven, is ten plus three. Three was the holy trinity. One is quite lonely. Together they make four and thirteen. Were you lonely and so picked thirteen, because four was too short? "

Jareth, midway through vanishing, froze, stared at River in shock and could think of nothing to say.

"Bovine. Definitely bovine in actions." Finished with her statement, River skipped down the hill towards the large gates to the Labyrinth.

Glaring at the girl's diminishing form, Jareth completed his transportation to the castle. Collapsing onto his throne, he conjured a crystal to watch River's introduction to the Labyrinth.

**At the gates**

River stared up at the large gates before, head cocked to the side as if listening to voices only she could hear.

"Pretty little flitting things that have a nasty bite, don't try and trick me." She chanted to the fairy that had flown up to her. The fairy pulled a face at her and flew off.

"A young girl with flowing hair and jewel green eyes was here before me, she met with the small cowardly hero… but he is not here to greet me." River shrugged in puzzlement before striding forward and pushing on the gate.

It swung open showing a glittering wall full of seeing lichen that blinked and followed her movements into the maze. She gazed left and then right, and turned towards the whisper in her mind. A little voice, sounding of Earth-that-was whispered gently through her thoughts. She paused and turned towards a little blue worm making its way out of a crack.

"'Allo," she said.

"'Allo!" he said back, looking slightly shocked at her appearance. "So would you like some tea? The missus loves company." He smiled invitingly at her.

"She would love to, but she has to reach the castle beyond the Goblin City nor does her mass compress to a small enough space to enter your dwelling. Her apologies to the missus." River ducked her head at the worm and turned around to face the opening in the wall, passing through and turning to the right.

"Wait! Don't go that way!" the worm called to River.

"You are but a worm, do you know the way to the castle beyond the Goblin City?"

"No, I'm just a worm, but the path to your left goes straight to that castle over yonder." He said, slightly indignant.

"Thank you." River smiled brightly at the worm and danced down the corridor.

"Strange girl, that one… the king has his work cut out for him," the worm chuckled to himself.

**In the Castle**

"Blast!" Jareth threw the crystal at the wall, "at this rate she'll be here in a few hours."

The goblins peered from around corners at the king. One brave soul piped up, "King not happy?"

Jareth whirled, but all the goblins had ducked back into their hiding places.

"No, King is not happy. Time to pay little River a visit," a devious grin lit his features at the thought.


	3. Famous Last Words

Disclaimer: Firefly/Serenity and The Labyrinth, unfortunately, do not belong to me.

_AN: Finally uploaded the third chapter, sorry it has taken so long. Graduation is coming up soon, so hopefully I'll have more time to do more regular updates. Hope you all enjoy! ^_^ R&R!  
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_Somewhere in the Black_

Mal had settled down to eat some breakfast, if the protein mush on his plate could be called breakfast, when Simon burst into the mess.

"MAL!" Simon's yell echoed through the room.

Startled, Mal spilled the coffee he had just picked up all over his pants.

"Wuh de ma! Simon! Gorram it! Don't sneak up on a man like that. Its liable to lead to injuries and retaliation!" Mal yelled back at Simon.

"But Mal, River is GONE!" Simon seemed positively distraught, his eyes wide and wild.

"Now calm down Simon, River has probably just disappeared into one of her hidey holes. Though it has been awhile since she's had one of her episodes…" Mal said pensively, " I'm sure she'll turn up, don't get your panties in a twist Doc."

"No, Mal. She was in her room, I could hear her talking to someone. When I got there however, all I could find was this glitter on the floor." Simon held up a handful of glitter for Mal's inspection.

Leaning over, Mal peered at the shiny powder in Simon's hand. He prodded it with a finger, only to have Simon cover it and pull it away from his reach.

"What?" Mal was looking rather indignant.

"We don't know what it is…or what it may have done to River." Simon got an introspective look on his face.

"Hey Captain, Bao-Bei, whatcha doing?" Kaylee looked cheerfully into their faces. Her eye was caught by the sparkling glitter. "Ooh! Shiny! Where'd you get that Simon? Can I have some? Ooh! Is it for me?" Kaylee's eyes were shining with the thought that Simon had gotten her something.

Mal covered his eyes with the palm of his hand and wondered how to deal with the fact that his crew was utterly mad.

_In the Labyrinth_

River was prancing down the path, enjoying the silence in her mind, when suddenly the strident voice of the Goblin King echoed around her.

"Having fun are we?"

River smiled up at where Jareth was lounging on the wall, "It is so quiet, calm, and there is no dissonance from loud minds. How could this not be enjoyable?"

Jareth gazed at her in puzzlement, "What do you mean it is quiet? There are always noises in the Labyrinth." He could clearly hear the Fireys several walls over singing their song, the creaking of shifting walls, and far in the distance the hubbub of Goblin City. Of course he could understand that his hearing was far superior to hers, realizing this he assumed a haughty expression.

"No no! You do not comprehend. I can hear the singing birds that detach their limbs, and the living movement of your Labyrinth, even the arguing of the goblins in their market place, but there are no people, no thoughts that I can hear. Even you are quiet like stone." River's eyes were pleading trying to make him understand, what she was saying.

Jareth looked shocked.

"Imitating the cows of Earth-that-was will not help your understanding," River shook her finger at Jareth.

There was click as Jareth snapped his jaw shut. He glared down at her and stated coldly, "Are you saying that you can read the mind of others? Psh. No human has that power."

A cruel smile twisted his face, "Let us see if you speak the truth, if not then a trip to the Bog may be in order."

River looked confused and then scrambled backwards, when Jareth suddenly appeared in front of her. He grasped the side of her face and put their foreheads together.

_A prodigy, unique, beyond genius_

_A new school, new challenges, new opportunities_

_A lie, no school, no challenges, just training and experiments and death_

_Secrets, so many secrets_

_Old men covered in blood, but never touched by it_

_A ship in space_

_A family not of blood but of blood: Captain Daddy and his radiant love, the Amazon warrior with her lost husband, a true brother with the Sunshine, an ape-man who secretly cared for all of them, and a priest who had left them behind_

_Weapons, dripping blood, the dead piled around a slim form_

_A snarling face, grotesquely disfigured by rage and knife_

_REAVERS!_

Jareth suddenly found himself hitting the wall opposite to River. He looked up at the small girl that sent him flying, and realized that something was very wrong. River was no longer home.

_Back on Serenity_

"Mal we've searched the entire ship and not found River. Perhaps something is truly amiss," Inara's cultured voice was laced with a hint of worry.

They had all gathered around the table in the mess, after an extensive search of the ship had not turned up River. A small red book lay in the center of the table.

"I found this on River's bunk, but I'm not sure if it helps." Simon looked terrible. His hair was wild from his tugging on it, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"The Labyrinth…" Inara mused over the title as she reached for the book.

SMACK!

Mal's hand slapped Inara's hand away from the book.

"Ouch! Mal what was that for?" Inara glared at Mal while nursing her red hand.

"We don't know where that book came from or how, if it is indeed the culprit, it might have made Little Bit disappear. So we will handle it carefully… KAYLEE!" Mal's speech ended in an indignant squawk.

Kaylee glanced up at Mal, from the book, "Really Cap, it's only a book… no harm ever came from readin' a book."


End file.
